Bloody Roses
by simply.kaleidoscope
Summary: Garnet is a blood slave. She's willing to follow her master and constant companion, Steppe. So why would the Elders decide it's unsafe for her to be alive? And how far will Steppe go to protect her? Will Garnet decide she's had enough of the Night World?
1. Fate

**Hello all. If you're reading this, it means I'm going over renovations. I read over my old stuff, realized I hated my writing "style", and thought I could do better. Maybe. I expect to get two or three chapters out tonight, but no promises. For the time being, the story continuing is on (another) hiatus. I didn't announce the last one cause my life got crazy, but soon. Soon I will begin writing again. Anyways, enjoy the rewrites.**

**P.S. The story isn't gonna change at all (much), just how it's told :)**

My life sucks.

Literally.

I know I sound horribly melodramatic, just like millions of other girls my age, but I believe I have some justification here. After all, not every girl my age has to deal with being a blood slave to a moody vampire. That's right, I'm a blood slave. Somehow, when I was just a little baby, some Night World Elders decided it would be a brilliant idea to try out the whole "humans as blood slaves" thing again. Sure, it was against the laws _they made_, but nobody would be complaining, right? At least, not the one who knew about it (I know quite a few humans who would have a few complaints). So they kidnapped a handful of babies, and handed them out to carefully selected vampires. I was one of those lucky little babies.

Anyways, I grew up with my vampire, Steppe, thinking it was perfectly normal for little kids to be raised that way. I never met anyone who'd dare tell me otherwise. But little did I know, that the Elders had decided to meet with those babies they had stolen sixteen years after the experiment started. Steppe never told me. I'm not sure why; maybe he thought I'd feel safer. All I know is that my ignorance didn't help at all. If anything, it sealed the fate.

"Garnet! Wake up!" Steppe yelled as he pounded on my bedroom door. _Lord_, I thought, _what time is it?_ I blinked and propped myself up onto my elbows, surveying my location. I must have fallen asleep on my bedroom floor again, but I couldn't remember why. As I became less drowsy, I slowly began to remember. Steppe and I had had a major screaming match late last night, and I had refused to go to bed until I got my point across. Apparently I had passed out on the floor when I got too tired.

"Garnet!" He yelled again.

"I'm up," I hollered through the door, wiping sleep out of my eyes, "I'll be out in a minute."

"Wear something nice," he reminded me and I screamed something extremely unladylike at him as his footsteps retreated. Before our fight, he had informed me that the Elders were visiting. I _hated_ when they came. They were always so condescending, and I usually had to feed them, which meant I would be anemic for _weeks_. These arguments had proved fruitless, since Steppe had told me that they were coming one way or another. Well, if he could win the argument, I wasn't going to let him win any other way. I was for _sure_ not wearing anything nice. I pulled my rattiest jeans out of one of my drawers and pulled them on. As I searched for a t-shirt, I half wondered if I should just listen to him, despite my major misgivings. After all, the elders were scary. I dismissed the thought as soon as I found my worn Beatles t-shirt. I pulled it over my head and posed in the mirror for a few minutes before pulling my long, blonde hair into a ponytail. Once I confirmed I managed to look lazy and semi-attractive at the same time, I skipped out of my room and down into the kitchen. Steppe was at the counter, making me a bowl of cereal like he did every morning. He glanced at me, and then again, and once more before groaning loudly.

"What are you wearing?" He sighed and handed me the bowl. Before I could respond, he wandered to the fridge and started searching for something.

"What?" I asked innocently, "_I_ think this is nice enough for the elders." I set down my bowl and pirouetted, "Don't you?" Steppe sighed again and gently pushed me into the chair. He sat down next to me and pushed a small carton of raspberries towards me. We sat in silence for a while, except for the crunching of my cereal.

"Wazzat?" I finally asked, jabbing my spoon at the carton.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," he reprimanded me, "And it's fruit. You know, for eating." I nodded slowly and swallowed.

"Yes. I got that. I meant, what's it doing on the table. Because I'm _not_ feeding them." Steppe slammed his hands onto the table, making the glassware rattle and me jump.

"You'll do whatever the hell they tell you to," he growled. I scowled back. He wanted to fight again? So be it.

"What is so important that you're freaking out? Why can't you tell me?" I demanded. He didn't respond at first, just gave me a look that made me freeze. He used to give me those all the time when I was little and… you know what? Not the point. He got up to leave, but stopped in the doorway to the living room.

"Change your outfit," he told me over his shoulder and slammed the door. It would've been totally dramatic if the doorbell hadn't of rung a second later. I leapt out of my chair and raced towards the door, nearly knocking over Steppe.

"I've got it!" I shrieked happily.

"No Garnet! Wait!" But I completely ignored his cries, and flung open the front door. Standing on the front porch were three teenagers – two males and a female. They looked innocent enough, but I knew better. These vampires were ancient, calculating, and cruel. They could wipe out everything I loved and needed on a whim. Because of that fact, I did everything I could not to take them seriously. They'd never hurt me seriously yet (though that was mostly due to Steppe), and I've found that the more you make jokes out of things, the less scary they seemed to be.

"Come on in!" I exclaimed, "I don't bite." I winked at them and held the door open as wide as I could. One of them opened their mouth to say something, probably mean, but Steppe was there in an instant, sweeping me behind him and distracting the Elders.

"You have my apologies," he said as he ushered the into the house, "Garnet did not sleep very well last night, and as a result, is acting a touch more bizarre than usual." Steppe always had a way of slipping into a "formal speak" when the Elders came to visit. I'm pretty sure he thought it impressed them or something. Silly Steppe. Didn't he know that nothing we ever did would make them happy? That's why I gave up trying _years_ ago.

"Maybe I wouldn't be so tired if you would just tell me what's going on rather than fighting back," I retorted, and the girl looked taken aback. I wondered if any of the other blood slaves were like me. The others couldn't be all docile slaves, could they? But judging by the female Elders reaction, I wasn't quite sure.

"You let it… fight with you?" She gasped, glancing wide-eyed from me to him. Her partners looked just as incredulous. Then a plan hit me. It was extremely obnoxious, but that was the game I played with them. I pushed their limits, and they pushed Steppes. I'm pretty sure they were used to how I acted. I tugged on Steppes shoulders and made my best puppy dog face.

"Stepppppe," I whined, "The leech just called me an 'it'." Simultaneously, they all gasped. The girl continued to look horrified, but the boys started glowering at me. Steppe slumped a little bit.

"Please sit down," He murmured to the Elders and as they did, he looked at me with the saddest expression I have ever seen. I knew what I said was rude and unthinkable, but I didn't think it warranted this kind of response.

"Garnet, go to your room," he told me quietly.

"But-" I tried to object.

"NOW!" He roared. The ferocity of his voice made me cower, and I scurried off to my room. I wondered to myself, _why is he so mad?_ I'd seem him exasperated and annoyed over my antics with the Elders, but never furious like this. Never in my entire life. I probably could've tried to eavesdropped, but I was pretty spooked. I ended up curling into a ball on my bed and staring at the blank wall. I tried to collect my thoughts, but everything was too scattered. I didn't know what to think.

I didn't have to wait long for Steppe. After only a few minutes, my door opened quietly and I looked up to see him just standing there. That moment went on for a small eternity before he walked in, shutting the door behind him. I gaped at him. Steppe hadn't been in my bedroom since my thirteenth birthday. I must have screwed up majorly. He walked slowly to my bed and sat next to me. Gently, he grabbed my wrist and pulled it towards himself. Before he bit, he kissed it gently. I was so surprised I nearly ripped my hand away. He always made "feeding time" as quick and impersonal as possible.

_Garnet_. His voice resounded deep in my head. Part of being bit by a vampire meant that some force always tried to push us together. It had been like that as long as I had been feeding him. Because of that, Steppe kept his mental distance as large as possible and made feedings short.

_Yes?_ I responded cautiously.

_This wasn't an ordinary meeting… it was to decide… to…_He trailed off, his mental voice growing weaker and weaker.

_To decide what?_ I demanded. He pushed my wrist away and turned so his back faced me. I put my hand on his shoulder.

"Steppe." He swiveled quickly to look at me, and I was struck by how deep his brown eyes could be.

"That was a test to see if the blood slave experiment would work. You… you failed, Garnet, and they want you dead. There's nothing I can do to stop them."


	2. Run

**I'm back… but not for long… so… little… free time… On the bright side, I just watched Tangled (cutest movie ever! Stupid Disney movies make me all gushy inside) **

**Note to self: Never write in cursive. While it is faster, I am never able to reread the drafts I write when I should be paying attention in class.**

It took me a small eternity to wrap my mind around what he had said and for the longest time after that, I had no response. What could I say to that? Eventually, when my brain started functioning, I could only think of one thing to say.

"Why didn't you warn me?" I wailed. He stood up abruptly and paced the floor, rubbing his face. When he spoke, he sounded as lost as I did.

"I don't know. I didn't want to scare you, I guess. I never thought that you'd… why would you say that to her-" he whipped around to glare at me "-what possessed you to speak like that? Do you have a death wish? You _know_ how much power they have!"

"You didn't warn me!" I shrieked in response to his escalating voice, "You think I meant to… you honestly think I want to die?" We both stared at each other, overcome with this new reality. The more I thought about it, the more lost I felt. For a single moment my breath hitched as an emotion that I refused to show washed over me. _Don't you dare, _I threatened myself, _you haven't cried for 2 years, 7 months, and 24 days. You're not breaking that record. _ Steppe finally noticed my change of emotion and sighed.

"Garnet," he said softly, walking towards me and opening his arms.

"Don't touch me!" I screamed, leaping up to stand on my bed. I backed up, pressing myself against the wall. I warned him, "Don't come near me. Or I'll… I don't know, but don't you dare." He regarded me with a strange look on his face as I realized something.

"Are they down there? Waiting for me..?" My mind moved quickly. If I jumped out the window, maybe I could catch the tree and escape before anyone noticed. Steppe would probably stall for me: we owed each other that much after all these years.

"No," he said quietly, surprising me, "They left." I glanced out the window and noticed for the first time that their car _was_ gone. I sunk to my knees on my thick comforter.

"Why?" I wondered aloud, "Why didn't they just get it over with?" The look in his eyes made me realize that that was the one question he hadn't wanted me to ask.

"Steppe. Why did they leave?" It was nice to hear the emotion in my voice replaced by the steel I was used to. I knew something was wrong when he didn't respond right away, but I didn't realize how bad it was until he turned on his heel, strode to the wall and punched it so hard that it shook. I could see, even from across the room, that Steppe was shaking as bad as, if not worse, than the wall. I eased off the bed and marched towards him, leaving a small buffer zone of a foot or so between the two of us.

"What's going on?"

"They want me to do it, okay? The told me that in order to prove that I don't care about you, I had to kill you myself." Time slowed down again as the adrenaline kicked into my system. I wasn't safe yet. I dashed to my desk and grabbed a pencil that was hidden underneath many papers off of it. I pointed the pencil (which, thankfully, was recently sharpened) straight at him and was extremely proud that my hands weren't quivering.

"Come near me and I will kill you. Don't think that I won't." If I had to, I knew I could. Or at least I hoped I could. Steppe was everything I had ever known. But if he was cold-hearted enough to try and destroy me, I wouldn't let my feelings get in the way of protecting myself. He lifted his hands up so they faced me and stared at me steadily.

"I am _not_ going to hurt you, so put the pencil down." He took a step forward with every other word, and as a result I scrambled back onto my bed to get away from him.

"Why should I believe you?" I demanded as he let out a wild laugh.

"If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn't be alive still. Why would I tell you everything if I was just going to kill you anyways? Stop being ridiculous – you're wasting time." He had a point. If he was going to kill me, I sincerely doubted that he would be needlessly cruel about it. He would've killed me the second he had gotten to my room. Slowly I edged towards him.

"You… won't kill me?" I asked, tucking my pencil into my back pocket.

"Never," he chuckled. I nodded slowly and sniffed, half wondering why my nose was runny all of a sudden. I reached up and wiped my eyes, horrified to find that they were wet. _I'm crying_, I thought, _Oh God. Not again._ The realization that I was, though, only brought on a fresh wave of tears. Before I knew it, I was full out sobbing and Steppe looked bewildered. Maybe he wouldn't have been so confused if I cried more. That day was the third time I ever cried. The first time was my thirteenth birthday and the second was the worst day of my life (which I'd really not like to discuss, thank you very much). I kind of assumed after the second time that there was nothing more to cry about so I was done. Obviously I was wrong. As shaken by my crying as Steppe was, slowly he wrapped his arms around me to comfort me. Despite trying to focus on nothing but stopping the tears, I still felt a little shocked. I couldn't remember the last time he hugged me. We stayed that way for a while.

"I've got a plan," he whispered into my hair. I pulled out of his arms.

"Since when?" He shrugged.

"I've always had a backup plan, just in case something like this happened." I blinked at him and tried to snap my mouth shut again.

"I'm not sure if I'm mad or thrilled that you've actually thought this out, but… okay. What's the plan?" Steppe gave me a wry smile, and wrapped a little bit of my hair around his hand.

"We're going to have to cut this off." Now, I'm not the kind of girl who spends her days in front of a mirror, trying on new skirts and covering my face in gunk. But my hair… it was my one true vanity. I detested what narcissism could do to a person, but I figured everyone should be allowed one obsession. I subscribed to magazines if only for their hair styling tips. On slow days I could spend hours styling my hair. To be honest, I couldn't remember the last time I had cut my hair. Sure, I trimmed it every once in a while, but my hair reached far down my back.

"My _hair_?" I demanded, pulling the strands out of his hands and smoothing down the frizz, "Why my hair?"

"Well, the Night World knows what you look like… and, truth be told, Garnet you kind of have a distinctive… style." I supposed I did enjoy dressing like one of those punk kids on the teenage dramas I like watching once in a while, but that was only because I felt like it actually reflected me. I wasn't stupid, though. Long, floaty blonde hair matched with plaid skirts and combat boots equaled someone you'd recognize easily.

"So, what are we going to do with it?" I asked meekly. The glint in Steppe's eyes nearly made me want to run and hide for cover.

"We dye it."

* * *

A few hours later, we were both in tricked out disguises and on a plane to some unknown Midwestern state. Steppe assured me that we'd drive far away from the airport so there was practically no chance of finding us. I wasn't really sure how he'd pulled all these strings… after all, who gets coach seats twenty minutes before the flight left? But he assured me that this was easy enough when you were able to influence minds.

I admonished him for that. I hated how vampires were able to act superior because they could affect our weak human brains. I was able to force him to promise to not use those powers after we were settled unless it was an emergency. It was inevitable that we'd have to use his powers to insert ourselves into a school and a normal life without creating crazy suspicion. It wasn't like we had any papers or parents or anything that proved we were who we said we were.

We spent the entire plane ride discussing possible cover stories. It was odd, chatting with Steppe like we were old friends. I honestly couldn't remember the last time we had talked like this. Most of the time it was a fight or me being a brat, or him being exasperated. It was never… this. Talking like we actually cared about each other. Our cover stories ranged from believable to insane beyond belief (we were foreign exchange students from Russia? Really?) But we had at least decided on one detail: we were going to be "siblings". It made the most sense: How else would we explain that we lived together? That was part of the reason we had to dye our hair. Steppe originally had black hair, and I had light blonde, but now it was just a matching mousy brown. We could pass as siblings, but only barely. Our facial shapes were pretty different, but we hoped nobody would look that closely. If they did, well Steppe had his mind powers.

After we decided we couldn't come to an agreement on the cover story, Steppe announced that he was going to take a nap. As soon as he closed his eyes, I dove for my purse and pulled out a pocket mirror.

_So many years… gone_, I thought forlornly, looking at my reflection. Besides dying my hair, Steppe and I agreed that it must be cut. I let him do it, and result was a choppy cut right below my chin. _Maybe bangs would help…_ I fluffed my hair a little bit and snapped the mirror closed. Worrying about it right now would do nothing.

I had _so_ much more to worry about.


	3. Naming

**Review you people! Review or I'll die!**

Steppe's stare turned into a glare. He was suddenly speaking in a low, quick voice that I'm sure nobody else could understand.

"If you really feel that way," he hissed, "Then you can just turn yourself in when we land. I'm sure cutting your hair is worse than death."

"T-that's not what I meant!" I protested feebly. Steppe snorted and turned to stare out the window. It was going to be a long ride…

***

"I feel like I'm never going to straiten out my legs again!" I complained, "Where are we, anyways?" Steppe looked away. He still wasn't talking to me, which was extremely aggravating. I waited silently as he hailed a taxi, and we both piled in. I was also silent as we stopped at an apartment building. I was even quieter when he talked to the owner of the building. Due to her subdued expression, I assumed he was using mind control. Steppe snatched a key off the desk, and walked to the elevator. When we were in the elevator, I looked at him, confused. He ignored me. Finally, we got to a room. When we got in, he turned to me.

"Time to explain," Steppe told me. I plopped on a chair next to the doorway. I crossed my arms and looked at him expectantly. Steppe took a deep breathe.

"The only way for us to hide from the Night World is for us to be human. So we're going to pretend to be human for a while. We'll live here with our 'parents'." He saw my confused expression. "Oh, we don't have parents. We're pretending to be siblings and so we'll have fake parents. That's why I had to dye your hair. It's necessary, Garnet, so I'd appreciate it if you stopped freaking out." I grinned.

"And we'll go to school?!" I demanded, "Like I should've if I hadn't been kidnapped?" Steppe glared and nodded at me. I thought for a second.

"You know, Steppe and Garnet aren't very human names…" I exclaimed, "I wanna be Gabby! You're name can't be Steppe!" I cocked my head. Steppe frowned.

"I'll be Stephen. Or 'Step' for short. It's pronounced the same." I sighed.

"That's _boring_," I whined. He slapped his hand over my mouth.

"Go to sleep," Steppe instructed and led me into one of the bedrooms, "I'll see you in the morning. Oh, and before you go…" He tilted my neck back and bit quickly. A few seconds later, I was woozy and he was wiping blood from his lips. He half-smiled at me.

"Goodnight Garn- Gabby," he whispered and shut the door as he walked away. I lie down on the bed and fell into blissful sleep.

***

"Morning Gabby!" There was a pounding on my door. "Time to get up! Take a shower, or whatever." I threw a pillow at the door before crawling out of bed.

After a warm shower, I stepped back into my room. I was about to put my old clothes on when I noticed an outfit folded neatly on the bed. I quickly put it on and bounded out of the room.

"The human is hungry!" I called out.

"So is the vampire," came the muffled reply. I groaned and scratched at the turtleneck I had been given. It covered almost all of my skin and was itchy.

"Why am I wearing this?" I demanded while I walked into the small kitchenette.

"If I get thirsty, I don't want anyone to see any marks as the fade," responded Steppe as he poured me a bowl of cereal. As I munched on Lucky Charms, Steppe sucked my blood. It seemed like an equal trade… (Catch my sarcasm there?) I yawned and (casually) ripped my wrist away from Steppe.

**I'm getting lazy 'cuz nobodies reviewing…**


	4. Human

**Sorry for the wait…! It's been a month! So sorry! But now school's over so I can write a TON! I promise tons of updates, more if you review, kay?**

"And this is our homeroom," He continued, "Any questions so far?" I smiled shyly.

"Yeah…" I admitted, "I forgot your name already."

"Don't worry about it!" He laughed, "Its Lewis." I felt my cheeks heat up. Oh jeez. He probably thought I was a bimbo now, or something. Steppe and I had made it to school, and the trip had been rather uneventful. Upon arriving, I found that he had influenced someone (principal or whoever makes the schedules) so that we had all our classes together. We were being shown around the school by Lewis, who also had the same schedule as we did.

"So you guys have been homeschooled your entire life?" Lewis asked. I nodded, eager for conversation with the first human I've met since age three.

"Yeah. But, I decided that I didn't want to spend my Junior and Senior year at home with this guy." I elbowed Steppe. So far, everything was going according to plan. We had spent all morning figuring out what had happened throughout our life so our stories matched. This is what we've gotten so far:

Steppe and I are twins. Until recently, we were homeschooled by our single mother. Our father divorced her when we were little and we haven't heard from him since. Money got tight, so we moved to an apartment nearby. So "Mom" could have more time for a job, we were sent to a public school, namely Columbus High School.

"I'm really excited," I babbled, "I've never really hung out with anyone besides Steppe. Public school must be _so_ exciting, you know? Well, you wouldn't, considering you've never been homeschooled but…" Steppe put his hand over my mouth.

"Shut it, Gar-Gabby," he sighed, "You'll talk his ear off." Lewis didn't seem to notice Steppe nearly calling me the wrong name.

"Oh, I don't mind. I'm an only child and all my friends are really quiet, so it's refreshing to hear someone talk that much. And Gabby? Public school isn't that exciting. Huh. Gabby. Is that short for something?"

"Gabriella," I lied smoothly.

"Gabriella," murmured Lewis, "I like that name." I blushed even more. Steppe snorted and crossed his arms.

"I wouldn't tell her that," warned Steppe, "She'll get a big head." Lewis chuckled and ruffled my hair. Unlike Steppe, who only a few inches taller than me, Lewis stood almost a whole head taller. He was really nice, and had the potential to be my first human friend. He even seemed to get along with the sulking Steppe.

So why did Steppe grit his teeth when Lewis touched my dyed black hair?

***

At lunch time, I managed to get separated from Steppe and Lewis. Lewis had hot lunch, which apparently was what they called meals you bought at school, and Steppe had made an excuse about "using the restroom". As _if_. He was sneaking off to steal some poor human's blood. He knew I would have a fit if he tried to take mine. Although that was the point of having me around, he would give me breaks occasionally. I only had so much blood. I clutched the brown paper bag Steppe had given me to my chest. I dashed to a corner table that had nobody sitting there. I opened my lunch bag to find a PB&J sandwich, an apple, a juice box, and a cookie. Really Steppe? It looked like an Elementary student's lunch, not a junior in High School. I picked at the food for a minute until a tray clattered to the spot across from me. I jumped about a foot into the air.

"Whoa, Gabriella!" Lewis said, "Calm down. Is it okay if I call you that?" I grinned, appreciative that someone I knew decided to sit next to me. It was nice.

"I don't really care what you call me." Oops. That sounded kind of rude. I revised it quickly.

"I mean, I've gone by a ton of names. After all, 'What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.' So whatever is good with me." Lewis took a fork and poked his salad.

"Shakespeare," Lewis commented, "Impressive." I bit into the apple. The flesh caved away easily to the juicy center. Is that what it was like for Steppe? Lewis said something, but over the roar of other students, I couldn't hear what he was saying. I leaned in closer.

"What?" I asked, "I couldn't hear you." Lewis leaned towards me a bit.

"I said," he repeated, "How's school going."

"You would know," I giggled, "We have all the same classes." He smiled at me.

"True, true. But, I was wondering what _you _think of being here," Lewis responded.

"Oh!" I declared, "This has been an awesome first day so far. Step isn't really having fun, but I am. It's nice to know that huma- uh, people can be so nice." I had nearly said that _humans_ can be so nice. But that wasn't a very human way of talking. Would this ever get easier?

Suddenly I realized how close Lewis was to me, in a literal sense. Our faces were inches from each other. I blushed and started to pull away but stopped. If Lewis didn't think it was such a big deal, it probably wasn't. So I stayed where I was, my face growing pinker by the second.

"Hey Gabriella-" Lewis started, but before he could finish that sentence, there was a sharp tug on my now-short hair. With a cry of pain, I twisted around to see who was pulling my hair.

Steppe glowered at me. My mouth opened and closed, half formed explanations and questions occasionally falling out. Steppe turned his gaze to Lewis. See, that glare made me cry when I was little. But Lewis, he didn't even blink. He stared blandly back.

"I need to talk to Gabby. _Alone_," hissed Steppe. Lewis blinked at Steppe, who took that as agreement. Steppe grabbed my wrist and yanked me to my feet, practically dragging me out of the lunch room. When we got out, he pulled me down a couple halls until we were all alone. Steppe then turned to me and pinned me against the wall. My heart skipped a couple beats in fear. Steppe may be my best friend, but that's not by choice. He's the only friend I have. Steppe's pretty dang scary.

"God, Garnet," growled Steppe, "I didn't think I had to tell you this. Don't get close to the *censored* humans. We're in enough trouble with the Night World.

"I get back from…" he faltered for a second, "Using the bathroom, and you and that _human_ are practically making out. What idiotic plan is going through your head? 'Cause I'd like to hear it now, Garnet. You idiot. Do you _want _to die? We're trying not to attract attention. Moron." I cringed away from him into the wall. But there was one word that caught my interest.

"Hmm. So I looked like I was about to make out with the _human_, huh? Did it ever occur to you that I wouldn't do that? Do you think that little of me?! I just met him! Besides Steppe, I'm human too. I might be living a life like this if it wasn't for you. Jeez Steppe. Think about it. I'm better at acting human than you are. You know why? I'm _human_." I put my hands over my face and sat on the ground. There was silence for a few minutes. Either Steppe realized I had a good point, or he was about to kill me. I didn't dare check to see his expression, though. I'm not that brave. Finally, his cold hand wrapped around my wrist.

I shuddered as he moved my arm away and kissed my neck. Steppe rolled the turtleneck down just a bit so he could bite me. Then the sting. You never truly get used to have blood drawn from you. It's not natural. Humans don't have instincts quite like animals do. But we still have them, buried under everything. Your instincts recognize what a vampire is, even if you don't. And being bit? Letting yourself be a victim like that? It never feels right. You're never comfortable with it.

Suddenly, the bell rang, signaling that it was time to go to our next class. Steppe pulled away and smiled genuinely at me. I adjusted my turtleneck as he wiped the blood from his mouth.

No, you never get comfortable with being food. But sometimes, it's the only stable thing. It's not comfortable, but it's there. You can rely on it being the only sure thing in this topsy-turvy world.

**Oooh. Long chapter. Review!**


	5. Phones

**I completely and totally suck. You may tell me that I suck as many times as you want, because I totally do. I apologize for never writing. Soooooo sorry. My only excuse is writers block and that's a sucky excuse, isn't it? If any of you aren't completely fed up with me and still reading this, you guys are amazing. I won't make anyone wait this long EVER AGAIN! Promise! If I break that promise, you have my permission to send me flames for every day for the rest of my life. Kay, done with the rambling A/N. Here I go. *takes deep breath***

"Hey guys," Lewis greeted us as we walked back. I looked at the ground solemnly and _anyone_ could feel the anger waves rolling off Steppe.

"Um, everything okay?" He asked. Steppe looked up and glared at Lewis. He stared calmly back. I kind of liked Lewis for that. He was braver than I could ever be.

"You had your turn to talk with Gabriella, so can I?" His tone was kind of joking, but the look on his face was completely serious.

"No." Steppe's voice was cold and hard.

"But-" Lewis and I started at the time.

"Shut up," he growled, "Both of you." He grabbed my wrist and pulled me ahead of Lewis, who gave me a worried look. I tried to look nonchalant and shrug, but I don't think I succeeded. This was going to be a rough day.

***

The end of the day didn't come soon enough. Steppe dragged me along before I could even say two words to any human. Then, as soon as the school day ended, he got us home as soon as possible.

But not soon enough.

"Call me, okay?" Lewis had cornered me when Steppe was getting stuff from his locker. He handed me a small slip of paper with a couple of numbers written on it. His phone number. I nodded eagerly and before I knew it, he was gone.

The apartment didn't seem as cool as it had when we first arrived.

"I have a migraine," he told me, "Go… do something quiet." _Do vampires even get migraines?_ I wondered silently, but didn't voice my doubt. Really, I didn't want Steppe to bite my head off. That wouldn't be much fun. Something quiet, eh? How quiet can I talk on a phone…?

Thankful that there had been a phone installed in my room, I grabbed it and curled up in my closet and shut the door, hoping to muffle sound. Quickly, I dialed the number and listened to the phone ring.

"Hello?" The voice was muffled.

"Lewis?" I asked quietly.

"I'm not Lewis…" The voice sounded confused at first. "OH MY GOD!"

"What?"

"You're a _girl_!" He exclaimed, "And you're calling _Lewis_!?"

"Yes," I said calmly, "Is that weird?" Was this a big deal?

"_Yeah!_ I'm his older brother. Aw, little Lewis is finally growing up." There was suddenly a voice in the background.

"Whozat?"

"A _girl_!" Lewis's brother cried out, "Calling for _you_!"

"Give me that!" Lewis yelled. There was a scuffle and something that sounded like the phone being dropped. Were all human calls on the phone like this? Vampire calls always seemed more… _refined._

"Hello?" Lewis sounded breathless, "Is that you, Gabriella?"

"Yeah," I responded, "It's me. What's up?"

"Sorry 'bout my brother," He said, "Are you okay?"

"Um, I think so. What are you talking about?"

"Your _brother_. He was so… angry," he repeated, "Are you okay?"

"Don't worry about that." I attempted to sound happy. "He's just jealous."

"Jealous?"

"I've never talked to anyone besides him, really," I explained, "He's very protective."

"It's bordering on abusive," he muttered, "Listen, if you ever need anything, just call here okay? I got to go."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye." He sounded reluctant. Finally, I heard the click symbolizing that he hung up. That didn't stop the little butterflies in my stomach that stayed.

He cared that I was safe. He wanted me to call if I needed help.

So different from Steppe.

"Garnet?" Oh jeez. Steppe! Quickly, I darted out of the closet, grabbed a book, and put the cell phone back. There was polite knocking on the door.

"Yes?" The door swung open before he even asked for permission.

"I'm thirsty," he complained.

"_I'm_ not a bloodbank," I told him. He sat next to me anyways and patted me on the head.

"I'm not a pet," I growled quietly. He sighed and put his arm around me.

"Garnet. Don't be mad. I'm doing this all for you, you know."

"Doing _what_?" I was angry and resentful now. How could he try to keep me away from my first friend? "Making me a hermit? Hiding me away from everyone, even the harmless people? I appreciate that you saved my life, but you can only go so far."

"I'm sorry," Steppe whispered, "I'm going overboard, I just don't _like_ that guy. He doesn't seem trustworthy to me."

"Nobody seems trustworthy to you," I retorted. But, something had distracted him. Leaning over me, Steppe pulled a small piece of paper out of my pocket. Lewis's number.

"What's this?"

Oh _crap_.


	6. Confusion

**If you're reading this, it means you may have forgiven me for being a jerk and not writing for a month. Again, you guys rock. Oh, and vote in my poll and check out my website at **.

"What is _this_?!" He demanded. I searched my mind for any quick, convenient, and believable lies there were to fit this situation. And do you know how many I came up with? Zero. That's right, none. How would I explain this without completely getting him angry again? He was just talking like a normal human being, well you know, for a vampire, and I didn't want that all to be wrecked.

"Uh…" I said slowly, "That's, um, well, how do I explain this? It's a phone number." Steppe rolled his eyes.

"How _stupid_ do you think I am?" He asked through gritted teeth, "I know it's a phone number. And I'm guessing it's Lewis's, because he's the only person you talk to. But my question is _why do you have it_?"

"I don't know," I said indignantly. I was proud of myself for my voice not shaking while I lied, and congratulated myself mentally for that.

"Liar!"

"Stay out of my mind!" I yelled at him.

"I don't have to!" He shouted back, "You're such a horrible liar, I can tell by looking at your face! Now tell me the STINKING TRUTH!" By now, he had gone from having his arm around me to grabbing my shoulders and digging his fingers painfully into my skin.

"Fine! It's Lewis's phone number!" I admitted angrily, "Let go of me!" Slowly, Steppe put his arms by his side and we sat across from each other, staring angrily.

"Have you called it yet?" He snarled.

"No." My voice didn't shake, and I looked straight into his eyes without flinching. I didn't even think that I was telling a lie.

"Fine," he said, and finally looked away from me. But what he did next surprised me. Or maybe not. I'd expected him to dispose of the slip of paper, just not the way he did it.

He shoved it into his _mouth_, chewed, and swallowed. He ate a piece of paper. I giggled a little bit, despite the mood. Serious Steppe eating _paper_. He glared at me in turn which only made me giggle more. Finally, I started having a laughing fit, rolling around, until tears started flowing out of my eyes. Before I knew it, my laughing fit became a crying session. I buried my face into Steppe's shoulder and sobbed. Slowly, unsurely, he put his arms around me.

"That's the fourth time," he whispered to me when I finally stopped. I looked at him sadly.

"Yeah," I muttered, "I guess it is. Sorry 'bout that. Stress an' stuff. You know?" He nodded, although the look on his face told me he didn't. I was horribly ashamed of myself. I had always prided myself of holding my emotions close to my heart, and now I'd cried in front of Steppe _twice_ within a mere two days. He must think I was an idiot.

"You're not an idiot," he murmured to me, "Just confused. I understand." I snorted. He sounded like a _counselor_. At that point, I realized his arms were still around me. I put my hands on his shoulders and gave him a gentle push, but he didn't let go. Instead, he put his mouth on my neck and bit. Of _course_. He was only being nice to me because he was thirsty. That made sense. Even if it made sense, that didn't stop the heavy stone of disappointment that had lodged itself in my stomach for no particular reason.

I was like a little child. If someone is nice to me, I take as a promise. A promise that they'll always be there, honestly caring for me. And when they weren't there, and when the care they show was just to _get _something, I was heartbroken. Just as I was about to slide away and order him to leave the room before I started crying again, he did yet another unexpected thing.

He moved his face away from my neck and gently gave me a kiss on the cheek. As he backed off, my hand flew to my cheek.

"Steppe?" I asked, bewildered, "What was…?" He chuckled.

"Thanks for the blood." He waved a hand at me and left the room. _What the heck was that?_


	7. Kisses

**Told ya guys I'd be better about writing! See? I'm being a good person! I remember to write! (Even if I'm neglecting other stories *blushes*) ANYWHO! **

What did he just _do_? Steppe was supposed to be my constant, always the same, even if that's not such a good thing. He's not supposed to confuse me like that! Suddenly, I felt furious with him. This was possibly the most stressful and weird time in my entire life and he just had to go and _kiss _me! Rage filled me quickly and I threw the door open and stormed over to Steppe. He was sitting calmly in a chair, reading a book. He looked up at me, slightly surprised.

"Can I help you?" He asked, so calmly that I slapped him. Now he looked confused, but surprisingly enough, not all that angry.

"What was that for?" He demanded.

"I could ask the same question!" I yelled back, pointing at my cheek, "Why did you kiss me!?" He set down his book and rolled his eyes at me.

"When a boy kisses a girl, he usually doesn't expect her to slap him." I stuttered for a second, unsure how to respond to that.

"W-well. But you're not a _boy_! You're _Steppe!_"

"Are you implying that I'm female?" Aggravated, I stamped my foot and clenched my hand, controlling the impulse to slap him again. He _knew_ what I meant. Okay, he probably didn't, but he knows that I know that he's a guy, if that makes sense.

"No. You're not female, and stop talking like an old man! But… ugh. You're like my _brother_," I growled, staring at the ground.

"I think you're making a big deal out of a simple kiss on the cheek," he told me, "And we're not related, not in the least bit. I've simply been taking care of you ever since you were in diapers." I crossed my arms and looked away.

"Stupid unaging vampire." He chuckled slightly at my comment as I plopped down in a chair across from him. _Where did he get this furniture? It's not the same as the furniture from our old home._ If anything, I missed my old room. If he had kissed me in _there_, I could've pushed him out, easily. Steppe murmured something.

"What?"

"I said, 'Was it really all that bad?' I mean, honestly, it was just on the cheek," he repeated.

"I dunno… just unexpected… I guess. And… yeah," I finished lamely. Realizing that didn't make sense in the least bit, I tried again.

"I never really ever thought that you'd ever kiss me – even on the cheek." Steppe was no longer looking at me; instead he was staring intently at the wall. Suddenly my mouth was moving on its own.

"Does that hurt your feelings?" His head snapped over and he stared at me, his dark eyes masking something that I couldn't decipher.

"What would you think if I said yes?" He demanded and I swear I felt my heart stop. Then it started beating a million and two beats per minute and my face turned really, really red.

"I would think… that you were teasing me," I murmured and suddenly he was next to me, his face inches from mine.

"I'm not joking," he whispered, and his face was deadly serious, "I would never joke about anything like this, Garnet." He laughed once.

"God, I thought I was going to _kill _that boy. Gabriella this, Gabriella that. How can you _stand_ that?" He paused for a second, like waiting for a response, but then he continued on.

"You shouldn't be called anything but Garnet. You _are_ Garnet, and you shall forever Garnet. _My _Garnet."

"I'm not anyone's anything!" I started to protest, but he cut me off by pressing his lips to mine.

And then, the phone rang.


	8. Dreaming

**Yet another chapter of Bloody Roses. I apologize for them being soooo short. And I'm a loser, but school started, and I'm overloaded. Completely and totally overloaded.**

Well. That was the most inopportune moment for a phone to ring. Ever. Wait, what did I just think? Inopportune? Like I _wanted _him to keep on kissing me? No. No, nuh-uh, never. He's like a brother. Not a boyfriend. Uncomfortable, I moved slightly and gave Steppe a little push. He didn't move. _Stupid strong vampires. Stupid, stupid, stupid._

"I have to answer the phone," I told him.

"No you don't," he murmured, "You could stay right here." I didn't want to tell him what I was thinking, and I certainly hoped he couldn't tell what I was thinking. As much as I loathe admitting it, I honestly didn't _want_ to move at the moment. It was… comfortable. Well, probably not for him. I was sitting cross-legged on the chair and he was kneeling on the ground in front of me. He was still leaning towards me, closer than Lewis and I had been in the cafeteria. And I could feel myself wanting to lean towards him. I could feel his warm breath swirling around the air in front of me. Even though it was just Steppe, I couldn't help myself as I blushed. Steppe chuckled and reached forward, resting his hand on my cheek. I flinched backwards and slammed my head into the chair. His smile disappeared as he stood up.

"You're so edgy," he chuckled, but it sounded forced, "I'm going… out." With that he strode out of the room.

"Steppe..." I called quietly. I wasn't really sure if I wanted him to stay or go. He probably heard me, but ignored me and left. I stood up and went to my backpack. My head was muddled, and I wanted to do meaningless work that a robot should be doing. So I'd work on my homework.

***

I was wrong. Homework was _not _the thing to be working on. It was hard, time-consuming, and making my head hurt more than it had before. I always thought that people on sitcoms were stupid for complaining about homework. I always thought it wasn't that big of a deal. But I mean, what the hell were they trying to teach us? When would we actually _use_ this crap? Eventually, I figured it all out. After all, I was raised by an un-aging vampire, right? But he wasn't _creepy_ old. Like 108, or something. That would be… freaky. He'd only just become a vampire when I was given to him. And I was a newborn then. Of course, that made him thirty-two… but, that's beside the point. Aggravated, I threw my pencil onto the table and watched it roll off the table.

Sighing, I put my feet on the table and closed my eyes. Allowed myself to drift back to a simpler time. Before Steppe kissed me. Before my life was threatened. Hell, even before I was giving blood. And most importantly, before I had ever cried in front of Steppe. Back to the time when I thought I was invincible.

_"Steppe?" I called; climbing down the staircase after the visitors had left, "Who were they?" He ran his hand through his hair and smiled at me. Looking the same as he always did and forever would. When he smiled, I galloped towards him, jumping into his arms. He caught me easily and I was much more comfortable with his strong arms around me. _

When I grew older, I realized there were two Steppes: the one who existed before my thirteenth birthday, and the one who suddenly burst into my life the day I started giving blood. Anyways. Back to then.

_"Nobody important," he told me, but then sighed at the glare I gave him. I had practiced _that_ one by staring in the mirror for hours and making faces at myself._

_"Just some people who were checking up on us. Making sure I'm feeding you and… that's about it." He shifted me over so he was holding me in a bridal position. "They may come back later, just to run some blood tests on you." I looked up at him, alarmed._

_"Blood?" My panic was poorly disguised and he hugged me tighter._

You want to hear something funny?

A blood slave who was afraid of having her blood drawn.

Irony at its best.

But of course, I didn't realize this until my thirteenth birthday. The day the people who kept on visiting decided I was finally strong enough to have my blood drawn for Steppe. And it was then that I realized I had been raised like a pig for the slaughter.

Actually, make that a _guinea_ pig for the slaughter. I was the first blood slave. They were testing. If Steppe and I could handle it, and not threaten to expose the Night World, then it was all good, and there could be more blood slaves. As I packed up my homework, I wondered for a second what exactly I had done to make the elders believe I wasn't trustworthy. I was loyal, moody and crabby, maybe, but still loyal. I flopped down on my bed, and covered my hands with my eyes.

My lips were tingling. Belatedly, I realized that I had just had my first kiss. Shouldn't my heart be pounding like crazy? I probably should also be squealing happily, imagining our first date or something like that. At least… that's how books and TV shows made it sound. Is it like that for real humans? Did you see that? _Real_ humans. Huh. I'm not sure when I fell asleep, but I did… and my dreams were getting out of control.

_I was sitting in the middle of a big, white, empty room. The only thing for miles was a tall man dressed in all black, with his back facing me. With the unexplainable purpose you will only find within a dream world, I stood up and started walking towards him. Suddenly, I was surprised to find a familiar brushing of hair on my shoulders and the comfortable weight of long hair. I grabbed a lock and twisted it so it was in front of my face._

_Blonde. I let out a startled gasp and the man turned around. For some reason, I was surprised that it was Steppe. He turned quickly and strode towards me until he was inches away, towering over me. For a second, I wondered, _When did he get this tall?_ Before I realized that wasn't the point. He smiled confidently, and wrapped his arms around my waist. Before he could do anything, I grabbed his collar and pulled his mouth down to mine._

_Definitely a dream. Two points. First of all, _real_ me would never do this. Never. Ever. So don't get your little romance hungry self all excited. Second of all, _real_ Steppe wouldn't react the way he did. At least… I think he wouldn't. I really don't know anymore. He pulled away with a smile._

_"I knew it, Garnet. I always knew you'd fall for me," he murmured and then leaned back down. Normally, I would've gotten mad or something, but apparently my subconscious has more kissing experience than I do. 'Cause when dream-Steppe's lips touched mine, I couldn't think about anything else._

_Of course, at that happy moment, everything changed._

_The pure white turned blood red and Steppe's lips slipped lower until they were resting on my neck. The soft, albeit slightly possessive, grip on my waist tightened to nearly the point of pain. He removed one arm and tilted my head back before biting. _

_It was different from other feeds. Usually he'd just stop after a minute, tops, especially when the blood was flowing this fast. But he didn't stop, and my vision slowly grew darker. Eventually I grew limp and he dropped me at his feet. In my fading vision, I saw his bright red lips move._

_"Thanks for the snack."_

I woke up with a loud gasp. Shaking, I curled up into a ball and held my head. What was _that_?


	9. Aftershock

**Mmmkay. Hi. How ya doin? You like potatoes? I do. And I like this story. And Steppe. Minneee. Wow… I've claimed imaginary boys before, but never my own… Yay! It's a first! Not that I don't like Lewis… You know what? I'm just gonna write. Write, write, write.**

You know that feeling, when a dream just ended, and you can't get it out of your head? You close your eyes, but it comes flashing back to you. Anything you try to do to distract yourself is completely and totally futile. That's how it was going for me. If I thought my lips were tingling earlier… I shook my head and slid off the bed to begin pacing.

"It was just a dream. I can't control what happens in dreams, right?" I whispered to myself, trying to calm down, "It's not like I'd do that in real life…" At that point, I wasn't thinking about the end of the dream. Me… dying, I mean. I was thinking about… earlier than that. Where I, er, made out with Steppe. And the thing was, I had all these little butterflies in my stomach. I mean when Steppe kissed me in real life, nothing. But in the dream… Why…?

And the worst part was that this strange, foreign part of me, as strange as this sounds, almost _wanted_ real Steppe to kiss me like that. Or for _me_ to kiss _him_. I'm not sure. I'm really not used to that kind of stuff. As I was thinking that, the end of the dream came rushing at me. Funny thing is that when I thought about it later, the more I realized how ridiculous it was. Who makes out with someone and then kills her? It's just illogical. But that didn't stop the gripping fear that I acquired from that dream. Death, I realized, wouldn't be that strange for me. If Steppe took too much blood… then I was done for. Dead. Deceased. Expired. Lifeless. Pushing up daisies.

Unless, of course, he made me a vampire.

You know, I'd thought about it before. Just never seriously. More like, I was eating breakfast and Steppe was sucking my blood and I thought, _What would that be like? What if _I _was a vampire?_ And then Steppe would read my thoughts, gently punch me in the shoulder, and tell me to eat my damn cereal. But… Steppe wasn't here right now… and I sure wasn't eating cereal. I had a chance to actually just _think_ about it.

What would it be like to not be human? To be something entirely different? It's something that goes completely and utterly beyond my wildest imaginations. I mean, how could a puppy imagine itself a wolf? A kitten a tiger? Because those are about the same gaps that I had with Steppe. I was human and he was something entirely… other.

Now let's stretch our imagination just a bit farther. Let's say that Steppe said that he _wanted_ me to be a vampire. He _wanted_ me to be just like him. Why he would want that is beyond my imagination. But come on. It's just a little fantasy, correct? What would I say? How would I react? Why am I asking _you_?

I could almost picture it. Steppe, the picture of a vampire, all dark-eyes-dark-hair-fangs-and-all, coming to me and whispering, "Garnet, I want you to be a vampire." But then again, no. I'm probably just having remnants of my dream sneak into my consciousness. This would never happen. But what would it be like? To never grow, to never change? And that's not even the best part. The absolute best part would be… I wouldn't be a blood slave anymore.

I mean, think about it. I'd be just as strong as him, and he couldn't make me do _anything_ I didn't want to. Also, my blood wouldn't help him in the least bit. It was a win-win. But Steppe wouldn't change me… I'd need to find another vampire, and the chances of that are slim to none.

Wait, wait, wait. Freeze. Am I honestly considering this seriously? As if this could ever happen. This was just a fantasy. A far-off, never gonna happen fantasy. I curled up under my covers, trying to smother the disappointment that was welling up inside of me. As I closed my eyes, I heard the door click. My eyes shot open. Crap. Steppe was home. I was hoping I'd be sleeping when he got home. I sat there, frozen like a rabbit, as the steps grew closer and then paused at the door.

The door creaked quietly as he opened it and looked at me. I didn't even bother to close my eyes. It was no use pretending to be sleeping: Steppe was a smart vampire, he'd figure it out.

For a second, an expression crossed his face that I had never seen before. I didn't know what to make of it, and it was gone before I could even think about analyzing it. Then his face grew cold and impassionate.

"You should get some rest," he muttered gruffly. I couldn't tell if he was angry or hurt… at least, I _think_ it was one of those two. I sat up and leaned forward, despite the fact there was an entire room between the two of us.

"Steppe…" I began, but was cut off when he slammed the door shut behind him. _Jeez_. For a guy, he seems to PMS a lot. Eventually, though, I did manage to fall asleep, this time without any freaky dreams. To be honest, my dream had something to do with chocolate and unicorn horns. I'm…not really sure what that was all about. But, again, that's not the point.

When I woke up, Steppe was apparently not talking to me. The only interaction we had was when he drank my blood and drove me to school. At school, Lewis eagerly chattered to me, and I chattered back. Steppe would glower at us from a corner, and not leave my side except to get a drink. Then we went home, and Steppe left almost immediately. I fell asleep, thinking it would all be better in the morning.

It wasn't.

That schedule soon became the one I grew used to. Had me… rejecting his kiss upset him that much? Whenever I thought that, I laughed at myself. I mean, my God, I'm not _that_ self-centered.

Every night, I'd go to bed thinking that _today_ would be the last day he'd be like that. I was wrong.

Days turned into weeks. And those weeks quickly turned into a month. Then two months. In fact, we were getting close to three months, when he stopped. I think it would've gone on longer, if Lewis hadn't interjected.

He asked me out.


	10. Silence

**I LOVE YOU! Please don't kill me! *Hides in corner* I promise I'll update every day (cough cough month) Just don't keel me! I'm really, really sorry! I've been so dang busy! It's a horrible excuse, but it's a true one! Don't worry, I'm writing now! (And thank you all so much! I hit 50 reviews!) Don't worry, schools over! OH! I have a boyfriend now! My first one! Yep, yep.**

Heh. I bet that freaked you out. I didn't mean to drop that on everyone with no… I don't know, warning? But that's how it was for me. BAM! Just… bam. No prerequisite, no nothing. Just all of a sudden, a blushing Lewis cornered me and… you know what, no. I'm not just going to tell you what happened like that. Because you can guess the rest. Alright, so that morning, it was nothing special. Steppe still wasn't talking to me, despite my best efforts to force him. He's a stubborn pers- er, vampire. Once he puts his mind to it, nothing short of death will stop him from achieving his goal. So not to sound hopeless or anything, but I knew I was stuck with his silence.

I shuffled out of my room, rubbing my eyes to remove the sleep. Steppe was already sitting calmly at his usual seat at the kitchen table. There was a bowl of cereal sitting at the chair opposite it. A glass of milk rested next to it, ready for me to pour it in the cereal. I plopped down into the chair, not even bothering to look at him. Even if I did, there would be no reaction – I had figured that out by that point. I shoveled large spoonfuls of cereal into my mouth until the bowl was empty except for about a cup of milk left in the bottom. I slurped it down in possibly the least attractive way possible. I stood up, wiping my mouth with my sleeve.

"I'm going to get change," I said, my voice harsh. I glared at him, as if daring him to respond to me. No response. Of course, I was expecting that. But that didn't make it frustrating. For sixteen years, not a day had gone by without a conversation of some sort between the two of us. Neither of us had anything else. He had to abandon his family the day he became a vampire, and I had never known mine. He was the closest thing I had. I stomped my foot (yes, I actually do that) and dashed off to my room. As I pulled on my clothing, I tried to stop the tears from leaking out of my eyes. No, they were not sad tears. They were angry tears. I was just so _frustrated_ with him. I wouldn't admit this out loud, but I missed Steppe. I missed bickering with him, knowing that nothing we said was meant to hurt. I missed his gruff but reassuring words when I was upset or worried. And most of all, I missed that light in his eyes when he looked at me, assuring me that despite it all he cared about me, and always would. For a moment, I just stood there, dwelling in my realm of hidden thoughts. But then I glanced at the clock and knew he would drive us to school any moment. I dashed out of my silent room into another wordless space.

If I thought that it was bad in our house, then the silence in the car was deafening. No matter how loud you turned the radio up, no matter how loud I sang along with it, the lack of Steppes usual, "Turn that damn music down!" killed me a little on the inside every time. I found it better to listen to the silence then to try and cover it up. The ride to school was mercifully short. Before we moved here, Steppe wasn't sure if he'd be able to get a driver's license, so he "purchased" (I'm pretty sure nobody's paying rent here) an apartment that was within walking range of the school. Once he was positive he could hypnotize officials into giving him a license, he thought it would be too much hassle to find another apartment. So we drove all of five minutes to school. And every day when we got there, there was always a boy who sat near our parking spot, usually reading a book or plugged into a mp3 player. That fateful day, though, he had neither. I found that strange, but it didn't stop me from leaping out of my seat as soon as the car was stopped. Lewis's meaningless blabber was so much easier to deal with than Steppes heavy silence. I'm not sure I could've made it without him.

"Gabriella!" He exclaimed, pulling me into a hug. I could've sworn I heard Steppe snort as he pulled the keys out of the ignition. But, that was most likely my imagination. I was pretty sure that Steppe had got over the whole "calling me Gabriella" thing a month or two ago. After I pulled out of the hug – it seemed I was always the one ending them – Lewis linked his arm with me, and began pulling me towards the school. I glanced behind me, just to check and make sure that Steppe was still there, but I had no need to worry. Steppe was still there, hovering as always. Out of the corner of my eye, I was pretty sure I saw Lewis glance at him too. That was strange – usually Lewis and Steppe ignored each other completely. Well, Steppe was ignoring _everyone_, but that's beside the point. It was unusual for Lewis to express any interest in paying attention to Steppe. I couldn't remember the last time he talked about him. Maybe he'd occasionally angrily refer to "my brother", but those incidents were few and far in between. He continued pulling me into the school, occasionally throwing these funny little glances at Steppe every once in a while. Finally when we got into the school, he put his arm around me and whispered in my ear. I was almost positive that Steppe could hear every word he said.

"Is there any way you could get _your brother_ to leave? I kind of want to talk to you alone." I was a little confused; usually he didn't care if Steppe heard what he said or not. But, if he wanted to talk alone, he wanted to talk alone. Lewis had a faithful friend in these past months, and I tried to do everything I could for him. He was, after all, my only real friend. I didn't count Steppe as a true friend, at least not lately. First of all, we didn't really have a choice about it – we were shoved together whether we wanted to be with each other or not. Plus, there was the diva fit that he was in the middle of. It was driving me nuts. So, for Lewis's sake, I could plaster on a fake smile and ask Steppe to oblige. I slipped out of his grip and slowed down so I was paced with Steppe. He gave me a look that told me he knew exactly what I was up to.

"Please?" I said in my quiet, pleading voice that used to get me extra ice cream when I was little. He looked at me, and then looked at Lewis, narrowing his eyes. His expression seemed troubled for a second, but then it smoothed out and did something I hadn't heard him do in almost three months.

He laughed.

It wasn't like he tilted his head back and let a loud laugh that made everyone stop and look, no. It was just a little snort accompanied by a smirk. But that little reaction made my heart soar for just a second. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed that. And if I thought _that_ was a big deal, wait until you hear what he did next.

He _talked_.

I swear to God I nearly started hyperventilating there and then. Not only was he _laughing_ but he was _talking_ too! That definitely made that possibly the best day of the past few months for me. I know I complain about him _all the time_, but I care about him. It's hard not too, after someone raises you. It wasn't quite like the grudging respect that a child gives their parent, but something more. Something much more… important.

"Fine," he said, and then let out a little chuckle, "This should be fun." I swear that those words were almost immediately imprinted on my brain. They echoed over and over in my head. It was almost like he had never stopped talking. That deep voice that had symbolized comfort in my childhood suddenly meant the same thing all over again. I honestly stopped moving and threw my arms around him into a big hug. As soon as I did, I felt him stiffen. Almost immediately, he pushed me off, giving me a death glare before sulking off. I turned to Lewis, grinning ear to ear.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" His eyes dropped to the ground, staring at our feet. I was confused for a moment. He never acted like this. He looked back up at me after a few long seconds, and his face was bright red. Lewis usually seemed… pretty confident, actually. I couldn't remember ever seeing him blush.

"I… uh, there's really no easy way to say this… So I'm just gonna go out and ask it." He took a deep breath before continuing, "Will you go out with me?" I blinked once. And then again. And again. Did I just hear him correctly? Did Lewis ask me _out_? Was this some kind of joke?

"What?" I asked, always the literate one. He swallowed hard and repeated himself, before blabbering on about something about how although we hadn't known each other long, he really liked me and thought maybe it would be nice to try going out… and it went on and on and on. I wasn't really listening, to be truthful. I was somewhere else. I couldn't believe that he had just _asked me out_! I was practically over the moon. I guess I hadn't ever thought about Lewis like that, but what was there not to like? He was an attractive guy, and very, very sweet. I noticed at that point he was still talking. With a smile on my face I put my hand over his mouth.

"Lewis," I said softly.

"Yeah?" He asked, his voice muffled by my hand.

"Yes," I told him, "Yes, I'll go out with you."

**That's kinda how my boyfriend asked me out… Give or take a few details. Oh, I know we didn't really learn anything new, but I'm already working on the next chapter. Pinky promise. **


	11. Soulmates

**La di da. I like writing. My contacts itch. Randomness? Why yes, I am full of that. Why would you ask that? Sorry for the wait. I have no excuse, except that, once again, I love you guys. Honestly, I'd have no patience for me. I'd totally stop reading my stuff. **

I'm not going to lie. I've never seen a bigger smile on any boys face then the one I saw on Lewis' right then. And seeing him smile, well I couldn't help but smile back at him. He was one of those people whose happiness was contagious. I think I liked that best about him. At that moment I believed we were both completely full of joy. Until I typically had to go and ruin it. As we stood there, just grinning dumbly at each other, I started to realize what I had done. I had agreed to go out with Lewis: completely human Lewis. Dread unfurled inside my stomach. I was in such deep shit (With the council, not with Steppe. I could put off the massive fight I was expecting to have with him about Lewis until later) and I would be dragging him, a _human_ as in _not-a-vampire,_ into it. It was bad enough that I was in danger every single moment of every single day; I couldn't take it if he was too. It wouldn't be fair. I know that's a dumb thing to say, but the human life I could've had was stolen from me. I could _not_ let that happen to anyone else. Especially not my friend. But it wasn't like I could say to him, "Oops, never mind. Let's not go out so you don't become some sort of bloodless corpse lying in a ditch somewhere." Even I knew that you don't just say that kind of thing in polite society, no matter how truthful it is. I reached towards him with my hand and opened my mouth to tell him… what? I still don't know what I planned on telling him. Being honest with him was out of the question, and I'm not good at being subtle. "Oh yeah, if your life starts being in danger after we start dating, it's not my fault. Try not to die." But I was spared from trying to figure out what I was going to say because he leaned closer and put his hands on my shoulder

As his hands slipped lower until they settled on the small of my back, my heart started pounding. I couldn't think anything but, _Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God_, with a few expletives thrown in for good measure. He pulled me close until my head was resting on his chest. I could hear his heart racing as fast as mine. A little faster, I dare say. As I tilted my head up to look at him, for whatever reason my mind veered away. All of a sudden, Steppe took up every corner of my mind. And by Steppe I mean… well everything about him. The nice Steppe I knew when I was little, the man he became, the time he kissed me, the time he thought he broke my arm, those meaningless moments that mean the world to you when you look back at them… everything came flooding in at me. And when I was about to kiss Lewis of all times! But I couldn't help but flinch away from him. When your mind pulls away that strongly, it's hard to stop your body from naturally reacting. It didn't matter though. Lewis was already getting ripped away from me by the angriest vampire I have ever seen in my entire life.

Steppe.

And as he grabbed Lewis's collar and prepared to punch him everyone just froze. And by everyone I mean the three of us. I had expected everyone to shout, squirm, and scream but we just stopped moving. Steppe held his fist near his head just glaring wordlessly at Lewis while Lewis looked back horrified. There was just pure anger radiating off Steppe. That would be scary enough if he was human, but he wasn't. Vampires tend to be a _bit _scarier than humans. The only movement was both of their chests heaving, Steppes from anger and Lewis's from fear. Realizing that it was taking every fiber of Steppes being not to kill him, and Lewis was to terrified to do anything; I knew I had to intervene. I took one step towards them. And then another. I took a deep breath and…

"What the HELL are you doing?" I shrieked at Steppe. Both of them broke out of their daze and blinked at me: Lewis looking totally relieved. I appeared to have surprised Steppe, which was something I couldn't usually do. That was good. If he was in shock he wouldn't yell at me quite yet. I continued, "Let GO of him! God, what is WRONG with you?" A couple people poked their heads around the corner to see what I was screaming about. Thankfully Steppe had listened to my command so there wasn't any incriminating evidence of him doing anything bad. I was so angry my hands balled up into fists and started trembling. God, first he totally ignored me and turned my entire life upside down and then he decides whatever I do is totally his business? He had ruined my kiss in two ways, although the first one wasn't really his fault. But I was too angry to realize that. Unfortunately for me, he was angry too. And he had gotten over his shock of me yelling at him.

"What the hell am _I_ doing? What about you? I… I walk over here to find you about to… to… that hu…" He kept on cutting himself off as to not say anything that would cue to Lewis that he was something more than human. He should've stopped pretending to be normal. I was pretty sure Lewis had learned that we weren't 'normal'. Especially after Steppe nearly had a heart attack watching his 'sister' kiss nearly kiss someone. While I had been yelling at him, I had moved in between the two boys so Steppe couldn't actually punch Lewis. Steppe glared over my head and said, "Leave" in the most venom filled voice I have ever heard. Lewis started to protest but there was something in Steppe's eyes that screamed 'dangerous'. I had seen it once in my life before, and it was not something I like experiencing. As mentioned before, truly angry vampires are something to be terrified of. I heard Lewis' footsteps retreating and after a little bit, there was silence. Steppe swung his death glare onto me. I kept on expecting to say something, but he kept on walking closer and closer to me and I kept on backing up until I hit a wall. He put his hands on the wall behind me, trapping me between his arms. He leaned so close to me that I could smell the toothpaste on his breath. My heart stopped beating and for a strange reason, it didn't feel like fear.

"Do. Not. Kiss. Him. _Ever_." He hissed at me. I blinked at him. Was that it…? Because if it was, I was getting off a hell of a lot easier then I thought I'd be. He closed his eyes for a long moment, and when he opened them, they were blazing fiercely. I smushed myself harder against the wall, but he just moved closer. He obviously wasn't letting me get out of this.

"I only let you go because I was _positive_ you'd say no," he snarled at me, obviously becoming angrier with each word he said. "Why'd you say yes? You don't honestly like him. You shouldn't. You couldn't." Finally he backed up, running his hands through that short, messy dark hair. Although I knew it was a bad time, at that moment I was struck by how attractive he was. There were so many girls at this school who would kill to be in my place, blood slave and all. From what I knew, there were quite a few girls who were trying to get close to him. Some even came to me to see if I could help them. I had said nothing, and that only made them angry, but it was much safer for us. Safer for _them_ if they didn't pursue him.

"Have you even been listening to me?" Demanded Steppe. With a start, I realized he had been talking and I had been totally zoning out. Apparently my blank face told him everything he needed to know because gave a heavy, angry sigh and walked back over to me. I could tell that he was still angry, but not completely furious anymore. I flinched away, but rather than leaning over me, he pulled me into a hug. I froze, my arms at my sides, making it less of a hug, but he still didn't leg go. He rested his head on mine and inhaled. To be honest, it creeped me out a little bit, but at the same time it was… kinda sweet. I was even debating hugging him back. And then, of course with him being him, he just had to go and ruin it.

"It just doesn't seem fair," he murmured into my hair. And with that, I pushed him away. The only reason it worked was because he was so surprised by the push, really. Otherwise the weakling human would have never beaten him. Plus, the anger that I had just lost was resurfacing.

"Fair? You want to talk about_ FAIR?_" I demanded, my voice edging closer and closer to a scream. It was hard to believe we were still at school. Where was the teachers and administration coming to kick us out? I continued, trying to keep my voice down, "Do you consider ignoring me for _months_ fair? How can you continue to claim to care about me if you just _ignore _me like that? How the hell do you think that makes me feel?" A normal girl probably would break down crying, and I have to admit that some part of me wanted to. But that just wasn't I was, as much as the past week denied that. I was tough, or at least I tried to be. I turned away from him and he rested his hand on my shoulder. I tried to flick it off, but he was stubborn and stronger than I was so it stayed there.

"I know…" He started, hesitated, and then went on, "I know I wasn't _fair_. But I was doing the only thing I could do-"

"Ignore me for months at a time?" I interrupted while spinning around, outraged. The hand stayed and he talked on as if he had never heard me.

"-after being rejected like that. God, Garnet, how thick are you? I was putting my heart on my sleeve, so to speak, and you just shot me down without a second chance. I'm not supposed to be hurt? And yes, maybe I did overreact but I was doing everything I could. Otherwise, I do believe I would've killed that boy and stolen you away." And finally he stopped. We just stood there, me staring into those dark, dark brown eyes and him staring into mine. He was right. I was stupid. I had been seeing that he was actually hurt, but had been ignoring it. Why? Because it was easier for me that way. It was easier to ignore these feelings that the boy I had always told myself I loved as a brother was giving me. There was a time, before I was a blood slave, that I would've accepted that kiss without a thought. Heck, when I was really little, I used to pretend Steppe and I would get married one day. Things change, but they didn't for him apparently.

"Don't push me away," he whispered as he put the other hand on my shoulder. "Just try," he begged, so quietly I could barely hear him, "Just once. For me." And I don't know if I was still emotional from him still talking to me, or from him actually humbling himself enough to tell me all this. Whatever it was, I pulled closer to him, and I swore I saw this little smile on his lips. In the split second before he leaned down and kissed me, I realized that I was something of a slut. Didn't Lewis just ask me out and didn't I just say yes? What was I doing? But before I could stop him, Steppe was kissing me, and his lips were moving gently on mine. It was nothing like that first kiss.

This was like being reborn. I don't know what happened, but everything suddenly seemed to be clean and new and dazed, I thought to herself, _Is this what heaven feels like? Because kill me now then. _I didn't know what was happening, but it was like being pulled in, sucked towards Steppe and he was coming towards me. Not physically, but… mentally. Everything I felt, everything I thought was just him. And it seemed like the most natural thing that had ever happened to me.

_I love you_. It seemed like a breath of fresh air, and it sounded like _him_. Not necessarily his voice per se, but I knew instinctively that it was him. He sounded surprised, not that he loved me, but to find us so close like this. He was wondering how could the world continue going on when something this wonderful was happening? My thoughts were in the same place.

_What's happening?_ I thought at him, knowing that he would hear me.

_We're soulmates Garnet. Soulmates._

And that was when the physical world around us exploded.

**Hey all. Not sure how much I like how this chapter came out, but… I feel like it had to happen. And now I'd like to explain. Most soulmates find each other when one drinks the others blood, correct? Problem was, Steppe had been drinking Garnet's blood since she was little. Therefore, they've gotten used to the push and become somewhat desensitized. They don't understand what it's supposed to be really like. The first kiss didn't make the connection because it was really just a peck, and before they realized anything, it was over. This was a **_**real**_** kiss, and therefore, the connection was made. (Excuse my crappy explanation). Also, I'm probably going to go back and rewrite the older chapters to make them sound better. What do you think? Sorry about the rambly note. **

**Oh and Garnet? Yes, you are a slut.**


	12. Fear

**I actually have a good excuse this time, but I know you don't care what my stupid excuse is; you just want the damn chapter, right? Kay, here it is:**

I was violently ripped away from him, which felt a lot like being submerged in cold water. I know saying that is ridiculously cliché, but I _like_ clichés. Except when other people are saying them. That just pisses me off. Besides, it was true. I honest to God felt like I couldn't breathe. But I wasn't quite sure if the breathlessness came from the kiss (and revelation) Steppe and I just shared or the fact that my arm was twisted behind my back and there was a hand clutching my throat. Steppe looked like he couldn't decide if he was furious or terrified, and that frightened me. Steppe got scared about as much as I cried (excluding the past few days). Less, I dare say.

"Let go of her," he snarled, balling his hands up into fists. Somehow, the snarl seemed a lot less frightening than it did a few minutes ago when it was directed at Lewis. Maybe because of the change in vantage point? Anyways. The person holding me chuckled, which actually felt kinda weird… and never mind. Not the point. At all.

"I don't think so," he drawled in a way I would've found incredibly annoying on a normal basis, "You see, you're in no position to be telling _me_ what to do. One wrong move and I snap your little girlfriends' neck." He said it quite pleasantly, as if he enjoyed watching Steppes face slip from fury and terror to just sheer horror. The fist he had made just slipped away as his arms went from taught to limp at his sides. He wasn't looking at the man restraining me anymore: he was staring at me with misery plain in his eyes. The man had us trapped and he knew it.

"What do you want?" Steppe demanded, his snarl a hoarse ghost of what it should've been. It's funny how it only takes a couple of words for everything to change.

"Oh, it's not what _I _want. If we were doing what _I _wanted, you'd both be dead already. No, no, I'm here on official Night World business. It seems you've broken a few crucial laws." From that point on, his voice took on a monotone, as if the reasons we would be killed bored him, "You, Steppe, have been charged with telling a human about the Night World, resisting arrest, and _falling in love with a human_." He chuckled again as the bell telling students that they had better be in class rung. I was relieved. No human would stumble on this scene and have to die.

"How _stupid_ would you have to be to fall in love with a human? There are plenty of beautiful vampires out there! Even if you don't go for that, there are still werewolves and shape shifters (ew) and witches, if you _must_ go for something human-like." As he was talking, I realized one key thing. The Night World didn't really care about the first two offenses. I've known enough of their politics to know that they would overlook those two comparatively minor offences if Steppe could prove that he didn't love me. Don't get me wrong. I'm not one of those stupid 'As long as my lover is alive, I don't mind' heroines. I don't want to die. Ever, honestly. I want to have a long and healthy life. But at this point I was dying one way or another. And if I could save his life? I'd do it. He may be an ass and a jerk, but he's _my _ass and _my_ jerk. And nobody –and I mean nobody – is taking away _my _chance to kill him for all the shit he puts me through. So I did something I haven't done since I was little – projected my thoughts at him.

_Steppe. I know you can hear me. Tell him you don't love me. Lie, dammit. _The look on Steppes face changed dramatically one more time. All emotion left his face and he just stared and stared at me while the man blabbered on, oblivious that his audience was totally ignoring him. And that one word resounded in my mind that broke my heart.

_No._

No, he said. So he'd rather die than say he didn't love me? Where did that come from? Yesterday he wasn't even _talking_ to me! How does a person make a jump like that? I'll admit, that kiss… I certainly wasn't angry at Steppe any more. I hate that a stupid kiss like that could make me all weak but if what he said was true, if we really are soulmates…

No. Then was not the time to be thinking about it. And that was proven when the man holding gave me a rough shake and demanded to know if I was even listening. I wasn't. I mean, I wasn't before, but I was even less at that point. Because walking around the corner calling my name was none other than Lewis.

"Gabriella? Homeroom sent me to go look for…" He trailed off as he took in the scene. I'm not sure exactly what was going in his head, but my heart sunk to deeper depths than ever before. Not only was he going die, I was cheating on him. On the first day we decided to go out, no less. What was wrong with me? One good thing came out of Lewis's death sentence, though. He provided the distraction that Steppe needed.

Before anyone could even say anything, Steppe leaped forward and ripped the mans arms off me. He wrapped his hands around my waist, through me over his shoulder and started running, while grabbing Lewis's arm and dragging him behind us. Lewis tried to stumble along behind us, but he was obviously struggling to keep up. Looking up, I was relieved and worried to see that we weren't being followed. What was keeping him? Should I really actually care? We made it to the car and there was no sign of anyone. Steppe dumped me in the passenger seat and Lewis scrambled in the back seat. The car roared to life, and he sped out of the parking lot. Once we were safely out of danger, Lewis grabbed my shoulder and asked the question I had been dreading.

"Okay. What the _hell_ is going on here?"

**It was short, I'm not sure how much I like it, blah, blah, blah. Anyways. Next chapter I'm going to basically tell the life story of Garnet and Steppe. Not random little memories. Some of you may find that boring, but I feel it needs to be done. Thanks for reading.**


	13. Life

**Happy (early) Halloween! Here's your present:**

And that was how I ended up telling a human my life story. Every instinct screamed against it, but I have to admit, it still felt almost like a relief. There were no lies to keep up for Lewis. For the first time, I would truly be _me_. I had come to realize he didn't know who I really was and never could unless he knew everything I've gone through.

"What I'm about to tell you," I warned him, knowing how stupid I sounded, "Can't ever, _ever_ be repeated. You could be killed just for _knowing _this." Steppe interrupted me.

"He'll be killed either way. He saw what happened there. Plus, they know that he's important to you, since we took him. He's dead whether he tells anyone or not," he reminded me. I watched in the rearview mirror as Lewis rolled his eyes, obviously assuming we were being melodramatic. I turned around in my seat and gave him a look.

"Whatever, okay?" He said, "When this game you're playing is over, I won't tell anyone. I promise." His promise didn't have the desired reaction because Steppe clutched the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white, and I'm pretty sure I turned really pale. A game. I wish. Lewis had crossed him arms and looked away, so he missed both our rather entertaining reactions.

"Lewis. Listen to me." My voice was as calm as it could get after he called everything a 'game'. It still must've shook a bit because he turned and looked at me with a bit of concern in his eyes, "This is _not _a game. That's the furthest thing from the truth. Our lives – your life – are in actual danger right now. I'm not sure how to explain this…" And I really didn't. I couldn't just come out and say "vampires are real". That's a stupid way of explaining things. How do you come right and tell someone that the stuff of nightmares and bad fantasy books are reality? It's just not done. Steppe apparently had an answer though. He slammed on the brakes, causing us to shoot at least a foot forward. The boy hadn't been driving slowly. With a snap, his seat belt unbuckled, he leaned around the seat and bared his teeth. This all happened within a few seconds. He gave Lewis about thirty seconds to gawk at his fangs before the car was driving again. It took what seemed like an eternity for Lewis to react to what he just saw.

"What the hell is he?" He yelled, plastering himself against the seat to put as much distance between him and Steppe as possible. _Thanks Steppe_, I thought at him sarcastically, _Now I get to explain while he's hysterical. Thanks for _all_ your help_. He shrugged, not taking his eyes off the road. I reached out to touch Lewis' shoulder, but he flinched away from me.

"I'm sorry that you had to find out that way," I murmured while shooting a glare at Steppe, "And I'm not sure how to say this delicately. But vampires are real." He let out a nervous laugh that made me wonder how mentally stable he was.

"Y-you guys are nuts," he stuttered, "Or I'm d-dreaming. M-maybe b-both." I shook my head sadly.

"I wish Lewis. That would make life easier. I'm not going to force you to come to terms with that right now. I can only imagine what's going through your head right now. But vampires are real. Steppe is one and I'm… I'm his…" I glanced at Steppe for help. I wasn't sure how else to describe me except as a blood slave, and I doubted Lewis would take that well.

"Garnet is my assistant," Steppe interjected. Lewis visibly flinched when he spoke, and really, I couldn't blame him. Steppe's voice was menacing and that even freaked me out a bit.

"Who is Garnet? And what do you mean, assistant? Why would you need…?" Lewis started talking before I interrupted.

"Okay, if you'd both shut up, I could explain!" I interjected before we were forced into an awkward conversation about why on earth a vampire would need an assistant. God, I was barely sure where to start. I warned Lewis, "This might take a while and be kinda boring. I'm not sure how to tell everything without basically going through my life. But it looks like we'll be driving for a while." I took a deep breath and started.

"Steppe is not my brother. We weren't homeschooled by our parents. I'm… I'm an orphan, as far as I know. Steppes family is missing, we think. When Steppe was seventeen, he was changed into… what he is now. He had been selected for an experiment of sorts. The vampires wanted to see if it was possible for a vampire to raise a human to be used as an… assistant. I was kidnapped from the orphanage by random." I paused for a second. How often had I lay awake at night wondering what my life would have been like if they had just chosen another baby? It's funny how the littlest things change everything. I was about to continue, but Steppe started talking first, his eyes still fixed on the road.

"I was confused, disoriented. I had no idea what was going on and all of a sudden I was thrust into that world. And then they expected me to take care of this little baby. I didn't know what to do. I was assured that everything would be okay, and if it wasn't… well; she was simply a replaceable human." I looked at him sharply. He had never told me that. But he went on as if I hadn't done anything, "That was what did it. I had been a human not a week ago, and I wasn't about to let myself think they were inferior. I was determined to give that little baby everything he or she needed. I thought I would be getting a boy. But when they showed up with this little girl, I was still… excited. I pictured myself as the father she never had. I showered her with everything I could… and I dare say I spoiled you Garnet." He stopped talking and smiled at me. I was startled into smiling back. He never talked about the past. Ever. Our sweet little moment was interrupted by, who else, Lewis.

"Who is Garnet?" He demanded, "Tell me!"

"Oh." I grinned at him. "That's my name. Gabby was a cover-up. Not many humans are named Garnet, anyways. That's a vampire thing. They get named after trees and stuff. Things in the natural world." I had decided not to throw the whole Night World on him. He was having enough trouble accepting simply vampires. As I opened my mouth to continue with the story I realized Lewis would have to hear about a bit of my being a blood slave, otherwise I couldn't tell the rest of the story. I decided to proceed with caution.

"So, part of being an assistant is that I have to help… feed Steppe if he n-needs it." I paused for a second, took in Lewis' horrified face and hurried on. "The vampires knew that my body wouldn't be ready for that until I was old enough so they kept close watch on me to determine when I'd be prepared for that. Until that time came, Steppe… just took care of me. Honestly, I was pretty sure that every little girl was raised by a vampire. But… on my thirteenth birthday, they decided I was… old enough." I turned so I was no longer facing Lewis. This was the hard part. When I was thirteen, Steppe stopped being nice to me. He's never told me why and I never asked. It sucked, really. Because it felt like I stopped being someone he cared about and became just an object that he used for convenience. I don't think he ever meant it that way… especially now that I know we're soul mates but it still hurts. I knew Steppe knew that it was a touchy subject for me, but he made no jump to talk.

"Anyways, so that started and… went on for a while." I was _not_ going into the emotional part of it. "At some point, the vampires decided that their little experiment was a bust, that the vampire would get too attached to that disposable human. So they decided to get rid of me. And Steppe protected me. He… he stole me away, and we came here and… well, you know it from there. Any questions?" I turned to look at Lewis and face the barrage of questions sure to follow. Instead I was met with silence. He wouldn't look at me, just looked down.

"Lewis?" I asked tentatively and he finally looked at me. I expected confusion, fear maybe.

Not sheer anger.

**I promise I'll go into the emotional aspect of her life later. It'll be better explained, with more specific events. But I doubt she'd want to tell Lewis all that crap.**


	14. Emergencies

**Here you go: A chapter to tempt you into thinking I have enough time to write. LOL JK! **

**Listening to: Over My Head – The Fray**

** For the First Time – The Script**

Lewis," I asked, "Are you okay?" I crawled into the back seat, reached over and put my hand on his shoulder, but he quickly shrugged it off.

"You lied to me!" He roared, "You lied to me and now you're basically kidnapping me. You made it seem like we were friends, but we're not… not really. How could we be friends if I never even knew your real name, _Garnet_?" As he spat out my name, I was shocked at how hurt I felt. I had only know this human for less than a year, but how angry he was acting seemed to be killing me a little bit on the inside. And yet… I realized that I didn't need him to like me. I just need to make sure the three of us stayed safe. So all I had to do was convince him not run away. It didn't matter how mad he was at me.

"And this is why we had to," I told him, keeping my voice calm and mostly neutral, "Do you hear how childish you sound right now?" He paled and gaped at me.

"Childish?"

"Yes," I continued, "Like a little kid. You hear our reasons and you know that they're logical, but you can't get past the fact that poor, little Lewis didn't know the truth. Yes, I lied. But I lied for a good reason and you _know_ that. You're just too childish to see clearly." Steppe, thank God, had not interjected. _I_ had a chance to get through to him, because he had liked and trusted me at one point, but he had always disliked Steppe.

After hearing my speech, Lewis' face was completely white, and he turned to the window so he wouldn't have to look at me. In response, I crawled back into the passenger seat. As I curled up, Steppe gave me a disapproving look, but then swung his gaze back to the road. The car ride was awkwardly silent for a long time until I turned on the radio. Steppe and I sang along (both loudly and badly) but neither of us were able to ignore how uncomfortable the atmosphere had become due to the passenger in the backseat. Right after that new song by Kei$ha or Brittney Spears or whoever played for the fourth time, I heard mumbling from behind me. I turned down the music and twisted in my seat so I was facing him.

"What," I demanded and inwardly winced. I hadn't meant for it to come out that witchy. Lewis just scowled, not realizing my intent hadn't been to snap at him.

"I _said_, 'Where are we going?'" he repeated, clearly annoyed. I opened my mouth to answer (preferably with something witty and/or snarky), but I honestly didn't know. I whipped back to my seat and stared at Steppe expectantly. When he didn't say anything, I gently tapped his incredibly tense arm.

"I have some friends – witch friends," he said finally, "They live a couple states away and I think they'd help us. Witches are usually more liberal in terms of Night World law." I nodded and faced Lewis again. The color in his face, which had just returned, was gone again.

"You're betting my life on a maybe?" He yelled. At least this time he wasn't shouting at me, but I wasn't sure how much better that was. He continued, "First you lie about everything, then you kidnap me, and now I might die anyways? I know you don't care about me – that's been made abundantly clear – but what about her? Are you just going to lead her to her death?" Steppe and I spoke at the same time.

"I'm fine," I insisted as Steppe said, "She doesn't need me to protect her all the time." Lewis snorted as if doubting my ability to take care of myself and turned back to the window. I continued staring at him though. Everything about him (and between the two of us) had changed in short amount of time. He wasn't the boy I thought he was and I must admit I was disappointed. I had admired who Lewis was, but it seemed that had simply been a façade. Emergencies, as the saying goes, tend to bring out the real essence of a person. Steppe saved my life. Lewis sulked and whined.

"Garnet."

"Yeah?" I responded without looking at Steppe.

"Sit forward and buckle up. Now." I complied, but not without a lot of attitude. I slumped as low as I could in my seat.

"What's your problem? You're acting like you're afraid to drive." And he had been. He rarely took his eyes off the windshield and he was ridiculously tense. He took a deep breath, and tried to relax, but it obviously didn't work at all.

"I am," he muttered.

"What?" Lewis and I yelped.

"I have driven since before we moved," he confessed, "And before that, it was… my human life, I believe. And now we're on the highway. So forgive me if I'm a little nervous"

"_I've_ driven," Lewis muttered, "You could let me drive." But he said the suggestion so quiet I could barely hear, as if he expected to be shot down immediately. Steppe didn't disappoint.

"Right. Like I'm gonna let the human who has no clue where we're going drive. You'd probably drive us straight into a huge population of Elders. I'd sooner let Garnet drive," he chuckled, "And I'd don't feel safe if she's even near keys." It was nice to hear him a little less tense, and Lewis even cracked a smile.

"Hey," I said, as indignantly as I could, "It's not _my_ fault that you never taught me how to drive!"

"I didn't think I'd have to," he said softly, and the mood that had finally lightened up a little bit went ice cold again. I didn't need to be his soul mate to know where Steppes mind was. (Speaking of which, I needed to work that out in my mind. I still hadn't completely wrapped my mind around soul mate. I mean Steppe and me? What?)

For my entire life, we had been safe. It was just Steppe and me and the occasionally visitor, and that was completely okay with both of us. I'm almost positive that neither of us expected our life the way it was to ever change. And all of a sudden, our entire existence gets thrown around when they decided that it wasn't okay for me to be alive. So we fled, obviously the only thing to do at a time like that. Once we were away, they seemed to have left us alone. After all this time, we had just kind of assumed that everything was going to settle into a new type of normal. But now _because_ it took so long for them to get to us, it felt like they'd never stop searching us out.

"It's going to be okay," I told him softly, resting my hand on my arm. As I did that, he finally looked at me, and the look in his eyes was unlike anything I had ever seen before.

_I'm so scared_. The way that the sentence sounded, so full and truthful, I wasn't even sure if I had heard it out loud or if it was just in my head.

"Look OUT!" We both jumped and in an instant Steppe was trying to recover from his lapse in concentration, but it seemed we had chosen to have our moment just as the highway turned and it was too late to stop the car from heading off the side.


End file.
